Land of the Silver Birch facts for kids
"Land of the Silver Birch" is a well-known Canadian folk song. It became popular in the 1920s. People often sing it while canoeing to keep a steady rhythm. It's also a favorite song to sing around campfires, often as a round (where different groups start singing at different times).
The song's lyrics are sometimes mistakenly thought to be written by Pauline Johnson. This might be because she wrote another famous poem about paddling called "The Song My Paddle Sings." "Land of the Silver Birch" is about a beautiful, dream-like view of nature and the land. It's sung from the perspective of an Indigenous person. Even today, it is very popular with most Canadians.
The singer Bonnie Dobson included this song on her album in 1972. You can also hear it in the 2002 movie Men with Brooms. In 2005, a Canadian folk singer named Dickson Reid rewrote parts of the song. He released his version on his first album, Sugar in the Snow. Many elementary schools also teach this song to their students.
Contents
Song Lyrics
Like many old folk songs, the exact words of "Land of the Silver Birch" can change a little. Here are the most common lyrics:
verse 1:
- Land of the silver birch
Home of the beaver
Where still the mighty moose
Wanders at will
- Refrain:
Blue lake and rocky shore
I will return once more
boomdidi boom boom – boomdidi boom boom – boomdidi boom boom boom
- High on a rocky ledge
I'll build my wigwam
Close to the water's edge
Silent and still
- Refrain
- My heart grows sick for thee
Here in the low lands
I will return to thee
Hills of the north
- Refrain
Related Song: "My Paddle's Keen and Bright"
"Land of the Silver Birch" is often sung with another similar song called "My Paddle's Keen and Bright." Margaret Embers McGee wrote "My Paddle's Keen and Bright" in 1918. It's also used to help keep time when paddling a canoe. Sometimes, parts of the two songs are mixed together.
Here are the lyrics for "My Paddle's Keen and Bright":
- My paddle's keen and bright
Flashing with silver
Follow the wild goose flight
Dip, dip and swing
- Dip, dip and swing her back
Flashing with silver
Swift as the wild goose flies
Dip, dip and swing
Different Versions of the Lyrics
The words to "Land of the Silver Birch" can be quite different. It depends on who is singing it and where they are from in Canada. Here are some other verses and changes you might hear:
- Deep in the forest
Down in the lowlands
My heart cries out for thee
Hills of the North
- Swift as a silver fish
Canoe of birch bark
Thy mighty waterways
Carry me forth
- Though I am forced to flee
Far from my homeland
I will return to thee<Hills of the North
- High as an eagle soars<Over the mountains<My spirit rises up<Free as a bird
There is also a French version of the song called "Terre du bouleau blanc." Orff Canada, a music education group, helped share this version.
Popularity with Scouts and Guides
Since the 1930s, "Land of the Silver Birch" has been very popular with Scouts and Girl Guides. No one is quite sure how it first became a part of their traditions.
The song is sung regularly at many Canadian Scout and Girl Guide Camps. These include Doe Lake, Camp Maple Leaf, Camp Wenonah, and Camp Wa-Thik-Ane in Quebec.
Boy Scout Camps in the United States also sometimes sing this song. In some versions, they might sing "eagle" instead of "beaver." Other camps, like Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan Scout Reservation in Pearson, Wisconsin, and Cuyuna Scout Camp in Crosslake, Minnesota, use this song to end their campfire programs. Camp Babcock-Hovey in Ovid, New York also sings it.
An Italian version, "Terra di Betulla," is also a common campfire song for Italian scouts.
Other Ways the Song is Used
In the United States, children sometimes perform this song in elementary school plays. These plays are often about the First Thanksgiving. The song is used to show what Native American life might have been like. Usually, only the first few verses are sung.
The song is also featured in the 2019 film Brotherhood, directed by Richard Bell. The movie is based on a true story about a canoeing accident at a boys' summer camp in Ontario, Canada. At the start of the canoe trip, the boys sing "Land of the Silver Birch" with great energy. Later in the film, parts of the song are played softly. This helps show the survivors' struggle to stay alive in the cold, dark water.
Images for kids
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"My Paddle's Keen and Bright" is a song often sung with "Land of the Silver Birch."
See also
In Spanish: Land of the Silver Birch para niños
